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Sunday, October 03, 2004

Can we keep the spirit of creativity alive?

Was interested to read in this mornings Sunday paper an article by art critic Gregory O'Brien where he writes that 'great artists would sell their soul to retain the clear vision of their childhood'.

He continues saying that it is during the eight to twelve year old age span 'that most people are unplugged from their natural creativity'. He says that this is not just because of the ' advent of adolescence' but because 'the spirit of childhood
is regularised, sanitised and rationalised by an education system preoccupied with definable outcomes and academic objectives'. 'Art and imagination', he writes, 'should not be put away as childish things'.

How can we in education re imagine the system to retain children's imagination and joy of discovery in all areas of learning? Not by excessive planning of exemplars and key competencies but rather by valuing the raw material of the children's own lives. Why must we always plan everything to death?